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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Hey y'all! Happy New Year's Eve! We have had a whirl-wind holiday, so we are taking it easy tonight and staying in. But for all of you who are getting ready for a holiday party, I have a little post just for you!

When you have a fairly large collection of polish, sometimes it can be more fun (and free!) to shop your stash and bring out some old favorite to play with once in a while. I have such a love affair with Zoya nail polish, that more often than not, I reach for a bottle when I am looking for a basic mani. I decided to pick out some of my favs that would be great for a holiday/new years party look.

Zoya - Fei Fei

Zoya - Blaze

Zoya - Ziv

Zoya - Storm

Zoya - Daul

Each polish has a little something special and would be great choices to ring in the new year. Of course there is always the classic gold or black look, but I also wanted to pick some unusual choices. Fei Fei and Daul are two of my most favorite Zoyas. They are truly unique and beautiful shades! And of course Blaze is always a stunning choice for any holiday occasion.

Well, I hope you had fun shopping my stash with me! And I hope I was able to help with any last minute polish decisions. Have a safe and fun NYE guys!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Hey guys! Just a quick little heads up, letting you know that I have finally finished the FAQ page for my blog! Sorry no nail stuff today - I'm taking a little break for a few days, but will be back with some NYE posts! So until then, enjoy the FAQ - there is a brand new spiffy tab on the nav bar!

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry freakin' Christmas y'all!!! Happy holidays, and happy Wednesday, otherwise. Since it is Christmas day and all, I figured that I should share my most awesome holiday mani. Last year was the first time I attempted nail art and I did a simple little holly berry design. So I thought it would be kinda fun to do another holly berry themed mani this year!

I was inspired by the incredibly talented Amanda K. on Instagram. You should really check out her profile, it is full of amazing nail art!

Used:

Nubar - Ruby Red Glitz

O.P.I. - MBSW

Revlon - Posh

Dotting tools

Nail art brush

I love this so much! It turned out so so pretty. Totally classic and simple design, my favorite.

Well that wraps up my holiday nail art spectacular! I hope you guys liked all the different designs that I shared! I definitely had a lot of fun doing them, and am looking forward to next year already!

I kinda had a blogger fail yesterday, and didn't get the holiday party post up. I spent all morning baking cookies, instead, oops! Instead, I will be posting it in a few days for a NYE party post! Have a great day!!!

Monday, December 23, 2013

Hi friends! Happy Monday! Are you guys ready for the holidays? I am still making cookies! It has taken a little longer than normal to get all my baking out of the way, my kiddo got a cold yesterday and I have been playing nurse along with baker!

I am trying to get the rest of my holiday posts up before all the madness starts, so I hope you guys don't mind a short post! Besides, we all know it's about the pics, right?! ^_^

Used:

O.P.I. - MVIBO.P.I. - FDATGG

O.P.I. - Black Onyx

Zoya - Logan

Zoya - Ziv

Nail art brush

This design is kinda sentimental for me. My mom's favorite flower is the poinsettia, and my sister and I would get her one every Christmas. So the flower always gives me warm fuzzies as an adult. The leaves were kind of a screw up, but I am okay with the end result. I used the G&G HK Girl top coat for this design.

I know I have mentioned it before, but MVIB is seriously such a great base for nail art. I grab it as much as MBSW when I am planning out a design. If you don't have either, they are great staples for a nail art collection.

I am also trying out the Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat. It is really great for nail art purposes as well, I have yet had a smear with it, even if the polish is still a little wet. I will be adding it along with every other TC I have tried to a comprehensive guide that I have been working on almost all year. I hope to have it up early 2014 (how crazy is it that 2013 is almost over?!?!).

Hope you guys have a great day & look for a fun post tomorrow, perfect if you are looking for a polish to wear to a holiday party!

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Hello everyone! I have something to make your day a little brighter! Yesterday I showed you the gorgeous Spirited Away from the new Takko Lacquer winter release. Today, I have the counterpart of the collection, Créature - also known as my polish pic for NYE!

Please Note: Products shown were sent to me by the company/creator for review purposes.

Takko Lacquer - Créature

Créature is a black with bronze/golden shimmer and a serious linear holo. The shimmer gives the black a smoky look, like patina on silver, super pretty. For me, it is a very wearable black, it doesn't give me the dreaded lobster hands that a lot of darker colors do. And as for the holo, check out the pics! Indoor lighting and all those rainbows! A serious stunner in sunlight for sure (dreary rainy skies for me when I swatched it, boo!). This is one coat of lovely Takko goodness. Standard thick, smooth formula as well. Because Sheryl uses vegan mineral pigments and shimmers, the polish dries to a satin finish. A good shiny top coat will bring this baby to life. I used Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat for all the photos.

Now this is how you do a black holo! There have been others (a certain "Hologlam" shade comes to mind) that fell flat and left me longing. But no more!

Be sure to follow Takko Lacquer on Instagram and Twitter for restock dates and info. And set your alarms, because they go quick!

Please Note: Products shown were sent to me by the company/creator for review purposes. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.Takko Lacquer is available on line. Products retail for $13.00 a piece.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Hey friends! See? I have more posts!!! Yay! Today is part one of two new polishes from the most awesome Takko Lacquer. The lovely Sheryl has once again created stunning colors with phenomenal shimmers and holographic effects.

Please Note: Products shown were sent to me by the company/creator for review purposes.

Takko Lacquer - Spirited Away

Spirited Away is a bright violet with an electric blue shimmer and a subtle linear holo effect. It is one of the most vibrant polishes I have ever used! The shimmer twinkles like faceted jewels and the holo, while subtle, adds amazing depth. So freakin gorgous! Formula is fantastic, as with all Takko Lacquer. One coat gets you full coverage, a second intensifies the shimmer and gives a more saturated color. I used two coats for the swatch photos and I think it looks best with two. Because Sheryl uses vegan mineral pigments and shimmers, the polish dries to a satin finish. A good shiny top coat will bring this baby to life. I used Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat for all the photos.

(Macro)

Are you drooling yet? Seriously, it is a total stunner! I have yet to be disappointed by a Takkito, and they just keep getting better and better! Just wait til you guys see Créature!

Be sure to follow Takko Lacquer on Instagram and Twitter for restock dates and info. And set your alarms, because they go quick!

Please Note: Products shown were sent to me by the company/creator for review purposes. All opinions are my own. For more info, please read my disclaimer.Takko Lacquer is available on line. Products retail for $13.00 a piece.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Hey guys and gals! It is super close to Christmas, and I am bursting at the seems! I also have so many nail art posts that I need to put up before the big day! I may actually have a post ready every day - which never happens!

Today is a fun, festive design that is super easy to do and doesn't require a lot of nail art skills. I haven never attempted a Ruffian mani before, and I had no trouble at all.

Used:

O.P.I. - First Date At The Golden Gate

Zoya - Logan

Born Pretty nail studs

I like that it I Christmas-y without being too ever the top. And of course the studs.You all know how I feel about nail studs!

If you have never done a Ruffian type design, it is really easy to recreate. I started with a base layer of O.P.I. FDATGG. After it was dry, I used Zoya Logan and started painting a little lower on the nail, following the cuticle curve. Super easy, and no tools required! Just the brushes from the bottles and a little patience!

I actually kinda prefer this sort of look as opposed to the more intricate designs. But it is fun to bust out all the tools, from time to time, and spend an evening creating something!

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Hey everyone! How is your weekend? We are going to check out the most awesome Trail of Lights at Zilker Park tonight! It is a wonderful holiday light display that the city of Austin puts on every year, and it is my most favorite tradition! I will probably spam my IG feed with pics tonight!

Today, I have an incredible polish to share! The fantastic Indie brand, ILNP (I Love Nail Polish), has recently released a line of Ultra Chrome polishes that boast insane color shifts. As part of a LE holiday trio, Barbra created the Ultra Chrome, Nostalgia - a multi chrome that shifts mainly from green to red, but let me tell you, there is sooooooooo much more! On to the pics!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

ILNP - Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a multi chrome polish that shifts from deep emerald green to bronze to yellow gold to red to fuchsia. I have even caught glimpses of teal and purple flashes. Let me preface by saying, my camera loathes multi chromes. It is always reluctant to capture color shifts. Nostalgia is so dramatic that it took amazing pictures! In person, it is even more stunning! I was constantly looks at my nails for the three days I wore it. Nostalgia has some serious hypnotic powers, folks! Formula was quite good as well. This is two coats, by itself. No layering over black to get this effect! Minimal brush strokes, and it applied smoothly. It did seem to dry a tad bit longer than regular polish. Nothing a good quick dry top coat can't solve!

I ordered this during the pre sale, and I am not sorry one bit! This is truly an amazing polish, and you will be seeing it again when I post my top ten polishes for the year. I will probably be ordering a back up of this in fact! So if you are on a no-buy, break it, cause Nostalgia is sooooo worth it! You will thank me!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.ILNP polish is available on line. Products retail from $10 - $12.50 a piece.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Hey friends! Happy Friday! No FF post today, but instead, I have more fun holiday nail art! For me, there is nothing more magical than a twinkling tree decked out with holiday flair.

Used:

O.P.I. - MBSW

Zoya - Logan

Zoya - Apple

Zoya - Ziv

Make up sponge

Nail art brush

I love the classic tree design, but I wanted to do a different spin on it and combined the gradient triangle with it. Though it is reflective as hell, and my camera hates white, I really really love the outcome - just not the photos. Hopefully, you guys can get a good idea of what it looks like and maybe try it out yourselves!

That's all for today, folks! I gotta say that the holidays/school/weather have been kicking my butt and I haven't had nearly enough time to enjoy the nail polish community. I hope you guys can forgive me for posting sporadically! Though I do have some fun stuff planned, not to mention my year end post! I have been thinking of what polishes will be in my top ten of this year, and it may take a while to narrow it down! What have been some favorites of yours?

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Hey y'all, hope all is well! We have a big winter storm blowing in today, and it is super chilly! I love cold weather as long as I am bundled up with a nice warm fire.

Today, I have more Holiday Nail Art Spectacular fun for you guys! A few months ago, I did a guest post for my lovely friend Casey Lane. I made my first attempt at doing spirals, and loved it! I knew it was something that I wanted to replicate again.

Used:

O.P.I. - MBSW

O.P.I. - First Date At The Golden Gate

Nubar - Ruby Red Glitz

Born Pretty nail studs

Nail Art brush

It was a lot easier this time around, and I have to say, I am super pleased with how it turned out! My favorite part is the studs, of course. But I think it is so cute and fun. And a great "twist" on the standard candy can striped nails. See what I did there? Haha, yeah, I'm hilarious.

Hope you guys have a great weekend! It is ridiculously cold here (what evs, I'm from Texas) and I am spending my days inside!

Friday, December 6, 2013

Hey friends! It is a cold, dreary, grey Friday, and I have the perfect color for today! It is the last installment of the Fashion Friday Fall/Winter Color Trend edition, and I have a shimmery grey that matches the color of my Texas skies!

Pantone gave us Turbulence, a cool grey with blue undertones, this season. My pick for this shade is Essie's Cashmere Bathrobe.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Essie - Cashmere Bathrobe

Cashmere Bathrobe is a cool toned grey with a silvery shimmer scattered through out. The shimmer has blue and pink bits as well, though they aren't very noticeable. It reminds me very much of the effect the summer colors from Essie had. Formula was really good, and we all know that Essie can be hit or miss in the formula department. Two coats for full coverage, almost a one coater. Good dry time.

I think this is a perfect winter color. Usually I have a hard time pulling off grey polishes, but this wasn't too bad. I have some holiday nail art planned for it that I think will turn out really pretty. Even though it was released as one of Essie's fall colors, Cashmere Bathrobe is still on some shelves. And I think it is a better pick (as well as The Lace Is On) than a lot of the colors from the winter collection.

Well that wraps up the Fall/Winter colors! I am already scouting out the spring collections and China Glaze is looking amazing! Also, incase you missed it, Pantone announced their color for 2014 - Radiant Orchid. It is a gorgeous color, and I am super duper excited to see all the great polish to come from the Spring/Summer pallet!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Hey friends! It's December already, and of course everyone is gearing up for the holiday season. I loooooove Christmas, almost to an unnatural degree. Borderline "Elf" level, folks. So it only makes sense to bring all that holiday revelry to the blog! Last year, I wasn't too confident in the nail art category to attempt much, but this year, I have stuff planned all month long! I even have something special in the works for the middle of the month, so keep an eye out!

I wanted to kick off my "Holiday Nail Art Spectacular" with something more wintery, for those not holiday inclined. And I know I say this every time, but Zoya Pixie Dust polishes are super fantastic for nail art purposes.

Used:

Essie - Mint Candy Apple

Zoya Pixie Dust - Tomoko

Nail Art brush

How great are the pixie dust icicles?!? I was super proud of myself for thinking of using Tomoko to make sparkly icicles. And since it is pixie dust, it was very easy to free hand, no tape needed or anything. I just painted little uneven lines and filled it out more towards the tips of my nails. I added a couple of dots to mimic water drips, as well.

It has been a while since I have had the creative urge to do some serious nail art, and it seems that lately all I have been posting is swatches - which is fine with me. But nail art is something I have really grown to love, and I want to keep the blog with an even mix of both. So yay for inspiration! Yay for holiday themed posts! Yay for Pixie Dust icicles!!!

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Hey friends! Hope you guys are having a great weekend! Apologies for posting this later than planned. The holidays are officially here and it is already kicking my ass!

Though, it isn't the most popular color for nail polish, brown is definitely a great staple color for Fall & Winter wardrobes. It is cozy and warm, and I love it! Pantone gave us Carafe, a cool toned coffee brown. Out of all the mainstream brands, Zoya was the only one to give us brown lovers a polish version of Carafe. Thank you Zoya, cause this baby is awesome!

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Zoya - Louise

Louise is a creamy (almost crelly) cool toned brown. It is rich a deep, and a fabulous alternative to those of us who can't pull off black. I used it for my Thanksgiving Day mani paired with Zoya Ziv, because brown and gold together are amazing. I know, it's not a very popular color, but it looks amazing on the nail, and I love it so much! Formula was the standard Zoya cream, smooth and flowy, two coats for full coverage, longer dry time.

Zoya is a brand that never ceases to please me, whether it is from their spot on colors, or their consistently good formulas, or PIXIE DUST, I am a Zoya lover for life. While I wanted to show all the most popular mainstream salon brands, Zoya is the only brand that covered almost every single color this year. So if you like a particular shade, but not the brand, please go check Zoya's website.

We have made it almost all the way through the Pantone Fall/Winter color guide and I've got one more color left to show! This has been a really fun series for me, and I really want to continue it next year into the new seasons. Pantone's color picks for 2014 are looking particularly amazing, and the polish collections I have managed to see peeks of are also looking gorgeous! Next year may be the year I go over board!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Hello my wonderful friends and readers! Happy Thanksgiving to my American pals, and happy Thursday to everyone else all over the globe! Before we get in to my turkey day mani, I want to say thank you to each of you all out there reading my little blog. This has been a crazy year for me, full of ups and downs, but this blog is my corner of the universe where I can share my passion for something as silly as nail polish, and I owe it to you! So thank you, thank you, thank you! I truly appreciate every follow and every comment. It always brings a smile to my face.

Now for the good stuff! I have been trying to get the perfect balance for skittlettes and, while this is far from perfect, I managed to do a set that I am happy with. I tend to lean more towards abstract art/design elements rather than traditional themes, and it seems to have carried over into my nail art designs.

Used:

Zoya - Louise

Zoya - Ziv

Born Pretty Studs

Nail Art brushes

Zoya has always been my favorite main stream brand, and I tend to grab at least one for nail art purposes, more often than not. I especially love Louise (watch for it tomorrow in the FF Color Trend post) and felt that it was the perfect Turkey Day color! And brown is always gorgeous with so gold, so Ziv was a natural choice!

I hope you all like my abstract/geometric Thanksgiving skittlette and I hope you all have a fabulous day! Now, I am off to cook up my contributions to the feast, later on today! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Friday, November 22, 2013

Hey lovelies, happy Friday to you all! More Fashion Friday Fall/Winter Color Trends for you guys today! It seems I totally spaced and didn't schedule the post for last week...ooops! Sorry about that!

Keeping with the jewel tones, Pantone added a rich fuchsia to the seasonal line up with the making of Vivacious. Essie and Zoya offered up gorgeous glowy versions of this shade in their respective collections.

Please Note: Products shown were purchased by me for my personal use.

Essie The Lace Is On

The Lace Is On is a stunning rich fuchsia metallic with shimmery bits thrown in for extra depth. This is definitely a top contender for my fav, out of the fall colors. It is the perfect seasonal color, in my opinion. Perfect for any occasion or holiday gathering! Formula was flawless. Essie has really outdone themselves lately. Every Essie I have gotten this year has been pretty much perfection. This is 2 easy smooth coats. Best thing? No frickin brush strokes!!! Just gorgeous shimmery glowy goodness!

Hope you guys have a great weekend! I probably won't be able to post much this week coming up, since it's Thanksgiving and we have a few get-togethers going on, but I will try!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Hey friends! Hope you all are having a great week! I am desperately trying to play catch-up, as well as plan for some fun stuff in December! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week, and Christmas shortly after. What a whirlwind year this has been for me!

I have a couple of Cult Nails lovelies to share with you guys, today. I have been on a huge teal kick lately, and decided to revisit Cult Nails Let Me Fly. And even though, I said I wouldn't, I went and bought two more colors. But in my defense, they are discounted, so there. Despite my overall underwhelming experiences, I still lust after some colors, and Baker is one I have eyed several times. I am a sucker for golden shimmers. Once I saw that Baker was discounted, I went and added Mazo to my cart as well; just in case Baker was to warm for my skin tone. And, because, I have no self control.

Please Note: Products were purchased by me for my personal use.

Cult Nails Mazo

Mazo is a very sheer pale nude with golden shimmer. There are also copper and green shimmery bits added to the mix. Sigh. The color is so dreamy, I love it. From my past experience, I knew that the formula was going to be thin, and with that knowledge, I was able to manipulate it to my liking. This one is super sheer, I ended up with four thinner coats. But it looks very pretty with just one coat as well, giving just a whisper of shimmer.

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Cult Nails Baker

Baker is a warm toffee colored nude with golden shimmer. I totally get what everyone was going crazy for. This is gorgeous. While it is very warm, it looks good with my skin tone. Same thin formula, sheer, but not so much as Mazo. This is three thinner coats. If the base was a bit thicker, I could have gotten away with 2.

I stick by my original assessment of Cult Nails. The polishes are just too thin for my preference. But now, at least, I am able to use them without issue. I am definitely not one of the "Culties" but I can appreciate a good color!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Hey friends! So after a crazy week, I have a fun new Indie to share with you guys! I was introduced to Cassandra, creator of Sweet Heart Polish, on IG and was given the honor of swatching some polish for her newest collection.

Death Is Only The Beginning is a gorgeous set of polishes inspired by the movie, The Mummy. The collection consists of seven linear holographic polishes, and one golden shimmery topper.

Please Note: Products shown were sent to me by the company/creator for review purposes.

Sweetheart Polish - Drink From The Nile

Drink From The Nile is a frickin stunning blue jelly with a linear holographic effect. I love this one so hard! It is so amazing, and so lovely. I almost didn't want to take it off after I swacthed it! Formula was really great to work with, as well. I was able to get full coverage with 2 coats, but ended up with 3. The third coat really depend the blue base.

Sweetheart Polish - The Book of Amun-Ra

The Book of Amun-Ra is actually a golden shimmery topper with holo micro glitters. I was not aware that it was meant as a topper until I started writing my post, lol! This is 3 coats on it's own. Even though it is sheer, I think it's pretty this way too! I am excited to try it out as a topper, now that I know!

Sweetheart Polish - Ameniphus

Ameniphus is a coppery brown metallic polish with a linear holo effect. I saw this one on IG first and practically started salivating! I love shimmery browns, and add holo, I'm done for! Great formula, and 2 coats for full coverage.

I am super impressed with the samples of Sweetheart Polish I received. And the rest of the collection looks so beautiful! I am definitely eyeing Oasis Of Ahm-Shere, teal and holo! If you are a holo lover, these are definitely some polishes to check out.

Please Note: Products shown were sent to me by the company/creator for review purposes. All opinions are my own. For more info. please read my disclaimer.

Sweetheart Polish is available via Etsy. Products retail for $9 a piece.